Garment display form



Oct. 31, .1939. SMESSER ETAL 2,177,836

GARMENT DISPLAY FORM Filed Feb. 8, 1937 SAMUEL MES-SEQ GEORGE MESSEBINVENTORS WWW A ORNEY Patented a. 31, 1939 GARMENT DISPLAY FORM SamuelMesser, Rockaway Park, and Georg Messer, Flushing, N. Y.

ApplicationFebrual-y s, 1937, Serial No. 124,698

4 Claims.

This invention relates to garment display forms, and deals moreparticularly with forms upon which a garment may be effectively drapedand displayed so as to present a pleasing and ,5 appealing silhouette tothe observer.

In its generally broad aspect, theinvention contemplates the provisionof a form, simulating a considerable portion of the human torso, uponwhich the garment is arranged and having grip, or otherwise engageexcess material of the garment so the front thereof is pleasingly drapedtopresent a slender silhouette. I

More specifically, the invention contemplates a form which is moulded ofa suitable material, substantially rigid in use, but which may beprovided with resilient portions adapted to serve to engage excessmaterial of a garment draped thereon in order to obviatethe use of pinsor other such means which tend to mutilate the garment.

Qthernovel features of the invention reside in the provision of a formadapted for interchangeable use in association with a display standardor any common form of garment hanger; .in the convenient manner in whichthe form may beapplied to a display standard; and inthe severaldisclosed structural features which will be more clearlyapparent as thedescription of the invention progresses.

The mentioned and other pertinent objects, features, and advantages arerealizedin the. invention asdisclosed in the accompanying drawing inwhich several preferred forms thereof are illustrated. While quitedetailed, the drawing is intended only to disclose the invention in someof its aspects and does hot exhaust the possible applications thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a garment form as at presentcontemplated and as mounted upon a display standard of usual design.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the form, the standard being shown in crosssection.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of an alternate, form of garment form. I

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of another modified form of garmentform and shown as suspended from a garment hanger.

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of other modified garment forms. I

Fig. '7 is a rear perspective View ofa form incorporating shoulder andneck portions.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of still another modi- 55 fied garment form.

preferably integral portions adapted to clamp,

The invention, as shown in, Figures 1' and 2, comprises a garment formwhich simulates the "torso of the human body and has a vertical extentbetween the breasts and hips. However, in order to present a slimsilhouette as viewed from the front, the periphery, as viewed from thetop, is somewhat smaller than the similar normal dimensions of the humanbody. Hence, when a garment is fitted .to the form,;a considerableamount of excess material must be gathered together and neatly andpainstakingly arranged-at the back of the form. Heretofore, this wasaccomplished by means of pins or the like, and other haphazard meanswhich made the fitting operation a cumbersome and tedious task. Inaddition, the above makeshift means, caused mutilation of the garmentwhich was thus rendered unfit for sale at the price for which it. wasmade to retail. Itis apparent that the losses thus incurred wereconsiderable. H

With the above in mind, the form I8 is provided with a slit as at It.This slitmay be arranged at the back, as shown, or may be along theside, or at any point of the form, other than the front. Since it iscontemplated to make the form of a substantially rigid yet pliablematerial such I as fabric-covered fibre or the like, it is at onceapparent that the slit II .will at all times tend to remain closed butcan readily be opened for the insertion therein of excess material. Thismaterial is effectively gripped between the smooth, round edges I2 forthe length of the form and in this manner the garment may be quickly andartisticly fitted in a relatively short time and without'injury to thegarment material. In addition, the rear of the garmentwill bepresentable, which certainly was not the case when previous drapingmethods were employed.

As can be seen from Figure 3, the form, in addition to the slit I0, maybe provided with one or more clamping or gripping slits l3, preferablypositioned near the sides of the form and each provided with a pocketportion M for the accommodation of garment material forced through saidslits. In this form either the slit II or the slits l3 may be used, orin some instances, both may be used.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the material of the form may be terminatedalong the spaced edges 15 and metallic or other suitable members l6 maybe fixed to the form to provide the coacting edges M -42 between whichthe slit Il is formed. As shown, the members [6 are in spacedrelation-to provide plural gripping means but can be continuous ifdesired, in accordance with the form shown in Figure 1. It will be notedthat this form is shown as somewhat longer than the form in Figure 1 andit will be understood that either of these may be made of the length ofthe other or any other suitable length.

The form illustrated in Figure 5 has its slit ll directed laterallybeing formed between the overlapping portions |2 -I2 of the body. Thisis a convenient type of construction since it is necessary to only flexone of the rear walls of the form to effectively tuck the materialbetween the portions |2 --l2 Fig. 6 illustrates still another form ofthe invention, being designed along the lines of the form shown inFigure 4. In this instance, the clamping members 5 are omitted to leaveunobstructed the space between the edges IE but adjacent these edges,the form is provided with gripping slits l3 and pockets M substantiallysimilar to the construction of Figure 3. The gap between the edges l5,of course, is concealed by the garment fitted to the form.

Another variation of the invention is depicted in Figure '7 wherein theform is provided with a shoulder and neck upper portion IT, a gap l8being provided to allow the form portion to function in the manner abovedescribed. As is apparent from the drawing, the form may be a completeusable device in itself and may be used for displaying girdles,brassieres, corsets, etc., by merely being set upright upon a displaycounter or shop window floor.

As shown in Figure 8, the form may be continuous in contour with theslit I I omitted. The gripping slits l3 may be positioned at the sidesof the form as shown so that both the front and the back of the garmentdisplayed thereon present a pleasing and undisturbed appearance.

When used in association with a display standard 20 such as shown inFigure 1, the form may be adjustably secured in relation to the garmenthanger 2| by suitable means such as shown at 22 in Figures 1 and 2 andat 23 in Figure 3. In this connection, the slit II has an added functionwhich is to facilitate mounting the form on the standard withoutnecessitating the removal of the hanger 2|. The resiliency of the formadjacent the slit efiectively permits the form to be snapped past thestandard so the securing means 22 or 23 may readily engage saidstandard. Similarly, removal of the form may be expeditiouslyaccomplished. As shown in Figure 8, the lateral portions of the form areleft free of any of the form supporting means which as shown, areaflixed to the front and/or back thereof as by the means 22 In thismanner, the form portions adjacent the slits l3 are free to be flexedduring insertion of material in the pockets I4.

The form may be supported by suspending it from the hanger 2| (as shownin Figure 4) as by bands, ribbons, or wires 24. In this type of mountingthe hanger need not be necessarily carried by a standard but may beotherwise supported as by hanging it from a point from above.

While the invention is quite simple in its conception, it can be seenfrom the foregoing disclosure that it may be employed in many ways. Forthis reason, the prior art, rather than the present specific disclosureshould form the basis of interpretation of the scope of the invention asclaimed.

We claim:

1. A .display form comprising a hollow body simulating a portion of thehuman torso, said body having a substantially oval contour as viewedfrom the top and provided with substantially parallel spaced edges toform an uninterrupted space in the rear of the form extending from topvto bottom thereof, and means fixed to said form at said edges comprisingreentrantly bent portions constituting coacting gripping jaws betweenwhich excess material of a garment draped on the form may be tucked foryielding retention thereby.

2. A display form comprising a tubular body having a front garmentdisplaying portion and edge portions at the rear thereof directed towardeach other, the contiguous edges of said latter portions being inturnedto constitute gripping portions for gripping the rear of a garmentdraped on the form.

3. A display form comprising a tubular body of flexible sheet materialformed to simulate a portion of the human torso, said body havingvertical edges which are disposed adjacent each other at the rear of theform and inturned to present coacting curved gripping jaws, the curvededges of the gripping jaws being resiliently yieldable to receive andyieldably retain between them excess material of a garment draped on theform.

4. A display form comprising a tubular body simulating a portion of thehuman torso, said body being oval in contour as viewed from the top andformed at the rear with cooperating portions having normally contiguousedges, said portions being adapted to be flexed to separate said edgesto receive and to grip therebetween excess material of a garment drapedon said form.

SAMUEL MESSER. GEORGE MESSER.

